Day 50: Good Luck Is On The Way.

Before I started my 90 day performance challenge I realized that there would be many days where the only place that I could play would be at the Santa Monica Promenade simply because I would be working during an open mic. About 5 years ago I had played in the Promenade and I thought I had the right equipment I needed this time. Much to my surprise when I hooked my equipment I got no sound. Since there is no power outlets in the streets you have to work off of a battery. I used a car battery which many performers do in Santa Monica. So I went to Autozone and they tested my battery. The salesman told me I needed a new one. I wasn't sure if I should believe him. The car repair business and honesty don't always go together but I took a leap of faith and bought a new battery. I took it home praying that it would work. I hooked it and what did I hear, a giant hum that made me cringe. By the way this the condensed version of this story. It was far more annoying then I am even describing. Anyhow so at that point I was like WTF,  I am going to return everything that I can and find an amp that works on regular batteries. I researched different possibilities online and finally decided on the Roland BA 330. It is only 30 watts but I figured I am playing in the street. How much power do I really need?  To make a long story short. The amp was wimpy and it distorted when I started singing loudly. While playing down at the Promenade I noticed alot of people using a Crate amp so I looked into it and ended up returning the Roland amp and getting the Crate amp. I have been using the Crate for around 10 days. It was a big improvement however I noticed that the reverb wasn't working on the guitar channel. Basically reverb makes you sound like your performing in a room. It is something that the masses don't know about but it is used on everything whether your in the studio or live. Without it instruments,voices sound flat, like a pancake. Mmm, pancakes. So today I went to Guitar Center and had them test out the Crate amp and indeed it was not functioning properly. Last week I discovered a giant crack in my guitar. Given the level of annoyance I think I am doing alright. I have had my share of bad luck. Perhaps some Good luck is on the way.